A map of the Australian innovation ecosystem

(Note from Ivan Kaye …. www.bsi.com.au are proud to play a part in helping innovators access grants and capital and www.bbg.business help entrepreneurs and innovators grow through collaboration and learning )

Chas Renando has created a great map of where AUSTRALIAN Innovation happens together with the players

Mapping the innovation ecosystem helps us navigate the loose network of individuals and organisations focused on helping innovative startups and entrepreneurs build, grow, and scale their business. A map creates a shared understanding and a basis for measuring to provide for better decisions.

With this in mind, and as part of an overall measurement project, I present a collection of ecosystem actors on a Google Map as an initial reference point.

A quick note overall on the Australian innovation ecosystem, which is unique in terms of diversity and density.

The nation’s relatively small population is spread across a large land mass and focused in a handful of capital cities. Density and access to diversity and specialist skills can be a challenge, limiting serendipitous collisions and introduction of new ways of thinking critical to innovation activity. The continent’s natural borders create barriers to inhibit natural migration of startup activity and external knowledge.

These barriers are being overcome, such as with programs likeStartup Catalyst‘s trips into overseas innovation markets, conferences such asStartcon andMyriad that bring in international speakers and investors, and Advance Queensland’sHotDesQ program that incentivises international startups to bring skills and innovation into the country.

The Australian innovation ecosystem can be seen as a whole, and also as being made up of individual ecosystems in each state, metro city center, and regional area. Each has unique attributes of the local area and cultural influence at the national level. Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Brisbane ecosystem are as distinct as those in Boulder, Colorado or Silicon Valley, while all share attributes of Australian startup culture as distinct from that found in the US or Europe.

Considerations

This map is incomplete. I post it here for feedback and in the interest of shipping before perfection. Some additional caveats:

Accuracy and completeness: Some things were missed, some I expect embarrassingly obvious. Please comment below and they can be added.

This is a start:A more updateable and user friendly system is in development. The work is a constant balance of wanting the results to be perfect and getting the work out for feedback. Feedback wins, enjoy the map.

Currency:The ecosystem is dynamic and new actors are entering and exiting regularly.

Multiple representations: The categorisation means that an accelerator program may also be a coworking space and an investment group. A space offering a program and an investment fund will support all the activities simultaneously in a region, so each is listed separately for the region in which they operate.

Location-based representation: Organisations with multiple offices are mapped per office, as it reflects local availability to the ecosystem. Some programs are national or virtual, and it can be difficult and perhaps not useful to identify a single location. But geography is the unit of measure for a physical map. Where no location was listed, I pulled the base of operations from the privacy policy or an ABN lookup. Where an organisation did not have an address, it is stacked in the city centre. This results in several organisations stacked on each other in one location.

Categorisation

Space:

Coworking spaces provide opportunities for startups to work efficiently, create serendipitous collisions, and build community with like-minded individuals who can assist growth. The diversity of needs in a community result in a range of types of spaces.

Coworking space, Innovation hub, and Hackerspace / makerspace / artspace. This distinction is made based on the extent that the space had evidence of programs or infrastructure to support being an innovation hub or hackerspace.

An innovation hub requires additional resources for programs, which necessitates additional revenue streams and different business models. More innovation hubs in a region could be considered reflective of future entrepreneurial activity.

Hackerspace /makerspace / artspace locations focus on the ideation and creation stage, and some offer coworking. These are critical to the ecosystem to develop ideas and talent. Emerging artspaces provide specialist infrastructure around creative industries without necessarily being supported by structured programming. The hackerspaces is one area I know is under-represented on the map.

Accelerator / Incubator programs

Accelerator or incubator programs can be short-term or ongoing, but are generally cohort-based with a start and stop date. Accelerator or incubator programs can run virtually, but are often based out of a dedicated space. Virtual or distributed programs are mapped at best guess where the program headquarters are based.

Programs can be the most dynamic to map, with many programs being short-term for a single cohort. The majority of programs mapped are ongoing.

Investment

Investment groups connect investors to startups and manage funds focused on entrepreneurial activity. To be considered, the group had to reflect a focus on early-stage investments.

Connection programs and groups

Connection programs and groups act as boundary spanners and glue for the innovation ecosystem, facilitating connections, introductions, advocacy, and support. These generally have a focus on geography (Australia, state or local government, regional or rural), technology or sector (agriculture, bitcoin, Fintech), or demographic (gender). National groups are mapped based on the location of the headquarters, where known

Data cut

I am cautious to make too many observations acknowledging caveats about completeness and categorisation. I expect a few rounds of feedback to change categorisation and add actors.

The Queensland government’s Advance Queensland initiative’s support for regional innovation activity combined with activation by the Office of the Queensland Chief Entreprenur is having an impact on the number of regional spaces delivering dedicated innovation programs. This is expected to have a direct impact on future entrepreneurial outcomes including number of startups and employment in new sectors.

Higher population density plays a large part in the number of ecosystem actors. I expect more coworking spaces in Victoria and New South Wales to nominate as innovation hubs. New South Wales has a significant investment representation and a strong FinTech focus.